Shoot Me
by mlw217
Summary: A different take on the Shooter episode. Hope you like it! R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Shooter

Lexie walked slowly and silently, finding supplies and rolling the cart around, putting on as much as it would hold. Alex had to be okay. There was no way that she was going to let him die right now. Her mind drifted to her friends and then to Meredith, but then she saw something that made every thought in her head disappear. It was the gunman…and it was Mr. Clark. Every muscle in her body froze and she could barely take in a breath.

"Mr. Clark…" Fear enveloped every nerve ending in her body as she held onto the cart for dear life.

"I never meant to hurt all those people…" Lexie's mind went to the dead nurse and to Alex.

"Of course you didn't…you were sad…you were grieving." Lexie spouted off something that wouldn't set the man with the gun off.

"I only wanted to shoot Dr. Shepherd…and Dr. Webber…and you." Mr. Clark raised the gun that was, until that moment, pointing idly to the ground. Lexie swallowed back the paralyzing fear and gritted her teeth. She saw his finger move slowly to the trigger and she closed her eyes, waiting for the pain.

A shot rang out and pain erupted from her shoulder. She fell to the floor and her head cracked against the linoleum floor. There was a second shot and Lexie pushed herself up on her elbows, but as soon as she put weight on her right arm, she fell back to the floor with a groan. She saw Mr. Clark on the ground, shot in the shoulder as well. Lexie had to get out of there. She stood up, staggered by the pain, but the adrenaline pushed her forward. She pushed the cart, half-running-half-tripping to the room where Mark and Alex were. As she ran, she saw what had put Mr. Clark on the ground. There was a man from the SWAT team motioning for her to come to him, but all she could think about was getting the supplies to Alex.

Lexie got to the room, breathing hard, and tears running down her face.

"Lexie, what the…" Mark saw fresh blood seeping through Lexie's scrubs and white coat. "Lexie!" His eyes were wide and he grabbed her by the arms. Just then, the SWAT team came and rushed around, helping Mark get Alex and Lexie out of there.

….

Callie and Arizona were helping the little girl Ruby when Callie's eyes grew wide with fear. Arizona's brows drew together and she turned around to see what Callie was so afraid of. Her jaw dropped a little as she eyed the gun in his shaking hand.

"There are only children here." She said this and turned back around, shielding the little girl from all harm. "There are only children here. There are only children here." Arizona whispered this over and over, zoning out of everything around her. She had to protect Ruby; it was her job. Ruby whimpered and tears streamed from her innocent eyes. A silent tear fell from Arizona's eye and she repeated her sentence again.

Callie looked at Arizona and closed her eyes for a second, determining her plan. She stood up straight and walked slowly toward the gunman. Callie's hands shook as she picked up some bandages to hand to the bleeding gunman. Maybe he would go away if she helped him. Callie walked forward and held out the bandages for him to take. As soon as she did so, the man moved so quickly that Callie didn't have time to react or run. The man grabbed her and wrapped his muscular arm around her neck, squeezing until no air would come into her lungs. Callie began to panic, fighting against the constricting arm with all the strength she had. Even though the gunman was wounded, he was still very strong. Tears fell from her eyes and she tried to yell for Arizona.

Arizona turned around quickly once she heard Callie's yelp and shock washed over her face. She swallowed and took a deep breath, hoping the oxygen would clear her mind enough so she could think of a plan. She could see that Callie was fighting for air; the very air that Arizona was so easily breathing. It made her sick to think that she had been arguing and yelling at her earlier and now she might lose her. All of Arizona's fear now turned to disgust. This man, who she was sure hurt so many people, was choking Callie. She had to do something.

"Pick those up." He barked gruffly at her, still choking a combatant Callie. Callie's eyes were turning red from effort and she grasped at the man's arm that was closing off her airway desperately. Arizona watched as Callie suffered and struggled and she picked up the bandages as quickly as she could.

"Please…let her go." Arizona's voice cracked as she pleaded.

"Get some morphine and a syringe and put all of it in a bag. Hurry before your friend here passes out. I'm not letting go until I get what I came here for." His voice was harsh but Arizona heard a slight undertone of guilt and remorse. She quickly ran around the room and got what he wanted. She gathered it into a bag and held it out, breathing hard.

"Put it on the ground in front of me." There was warning in his voice and she did as she was told. "Don't move…If you move, she dies."

Callie's protests were weak and then they stopped completely. She slumped and the man threw her carelessly to the ground, her head hitting the floor hard. Arizona gasped and worry filled her face. Her legs wanted to move; to be by her side and to get her to breathe again, but her brain stopped and made her stare at the man who grabbed the bag and apologized on his way out. As soon as the man left, Arizona dropped to Callie's side. She listened for any kind of breathing and felt for a pulse. There was nothing. Her heart dropped and she began CPR.

"Come on, Callie! Breathe!" Tears streamed down her face and she put her lips to Callie's, breathing for her. The compressions, she hoped, would restart Callie's heart. Then, a nurse came in with supplies and a defibrillator. "Charge to 300!" Arizona pressed down and shocked her heart. She waited for a second and then went up to 360. Then, Callie opened her eyes and coughed, trying to get oxygen into her lungs. She struggled and made a wretched sound trying to breathe.

"I need O2!" The nurse quickly got it and Arizona gingerly picked up Callie's head and put the mask on. "Breathe, Callie. Come on, sweetie. Just breathe." Callie couldn't seem to get a breath in and she was panicking again.

"Callie! Look at me. Just calm down and breathe. You're gonna be okay. Just breathe." Arizona spoke softly but with authority. Callie's wild eyes stared into Arizona's and she still couldn't catch her breath.

"Gosh…if she doesn't get air soon, we'll have to intubate. Can you get that ready just in case?" She said this aside to the nurse, trying to keep it from scaring Callie. But it was too late; Callie heard her and thrashed against Arizona's restraining hands, shaking her head.

"Shhh…Callie, it's okay. Breathe…and we won't have to intubate. Just breathe." Arizona couldn't help but think that something was obstructing her airway, so she checked. When she didn't see anything she grabbed Callie's face in her hands and made her pay attention. She prayed that Callie would start breathing; she couldn't stand watching Callie in so much pain. "Callie." Her voice was full of fear, love, worry, and determination. It took a couple of seconds, but Callie drew in her first breath. Arizona sighed in relief and grabbed gauze to stop the bleeding from Callie's head wound.

….

"Shoot me!" Meredith's voice was pleading and defiant, her eyes wild with desperation and tears as she stood behind the man with the gun.

"Meredith." Cristina whispered and closed her eyes, praying that this wasn't happening as she shook her head. Meredith saw the gun pressed against her best friend's head and disgust filled her entire being. The pit in the bottom of her stomach grew and she knew that what she was doing was right. She could imagine Cristina's face full of disbelief as she worked tirelessly on her husband, but whatever it took to save Derek, she would do it. There was no living without Derek. Meredith couldn't…and wouldn't live without Derek after she had worked so hard to find him. She had to save him. Getting shot didn't seem like a big price to pay for saving her husband's life.

"You want justice right? Your wife died. I know what happened: Derek told me the story. Lexie Grey is the one who pulled the plug on your wife: She's my sister. Dr. Webber - he was your wife's doctor. I'm the closest thing he has to a daughter. And the man on the table…I'm his wife…. If you wanna hurt them…the way that you hurt…Shoot me. I'm your eye for an eye." Tears streamed from her eyes, but as Mr. Clark moved the gun to Meredith's face, she wasn't scared anymore. Cristina was safe and Derek would be okay. As soon as Mr. Clark shot her, Owen was sure to take Mr. Clark down. She could now see Cristina's grief-stricken face and Avery's shock as they could tell that Meredith's speech was working. "Tell Derek that I love him and that I'm sorry. " It was short and final…and it seemed like a pretty good choice for her last words.

"Meredith." Cristina whispered again, willing Mr. Clark to put the gun to her own head again. "Wait, wait, wait, wait…ssshe's pregnant…you wouldn't shoot a woman who's pregnant...please…" Cristina, breathing hard, pleaded for Meredith's life that she was just giving away like yesterday's garbage. Cristina's eyes filled with tears and she stared at her best friend. Meredith's eyes widened and she swallowed, hoping that Mr. Clark wouldn't care. Mr. Clark's eyes wavered and a sinking feeling overtook Meredith…it wasn't working. Meredith saw a little movement from Owen and she warned him with a look, though it didn't seem to get through to him. Owen's eyes were determined and unafraid. Mr. Clark looked into Meredith's eyes.

"Your wife could've lived! After they pulled the plug, we looked over the films again. There was minimal brain activity…but there was hope!" Meredith was making something up – anything to make him shoot her instead of Cristina or Derek.

"No! She's lying. There was no hope!" Cristina yelled but she was too late. Mr. Clark had already pulled the trigger. Owen lunged for Clark, but instead of stopping the bullet, he tackled him after he shot. Meredith saw the man pull the trigger and felt the searing bullet tear through her flesh and she yelled out in excruciating pain. She felt her vision blur and energy seep out of her in the form of hot, red blood. All she wanted to do was tell Cristina that she was alright, but she couldn't even hold her eyes open. It was like she was swimming in water that was so deep that she couldn't swim fast enough to break the surface. Meredith could feel her breathing slow and panic set in. She was getting cold…which was a terrible sign. A dark cloud washed over her and blackness filled the fading light.

Subduing the shooter, Owen looked to Meredith, hoping the bullet had missed her. His heart sank as he heard Cristina's screams and saw all of the blood seeping onto the floor. Mr. Clark was out cold and Owen quickly found something to tie him up with. As soon as he had him restrained, he stood and shook Cristina's shoulders.

"I'll take care of Meredith! You save Shepherd! Do you hear me? Meredith's gonna be okay! Avery! Focus!" Owen brought them back to reality and forced Cristina to turn away from her best friend, who was lying in a pool of her own blood, dying. Tears streamed from her eyes and she whimpered, trying to focus on saving Derek's life when her best friend was dying. This was more than she could handle, but she had to focus and suck it up. Lives were at stake and she was responsible for the one unconscious on the table. She was going to save his life…so she pushed the fact that Meredith was shot out of her mind for the time being for Derek.

"Kepner! Get in here and help me!" Owen's booming voice made April come running and her already shocked eyes grew wider. "Get a gurney ready now! OR 2!" Owen picked Meredith up and ran into the next OR, laying her down carefully, ordering April around. Meredith's lifeless body lay on the table, blood pooling around her. She was shot in the abdomen…Owen took a deep breath and let it out, focusing. They got her hooked up to the monitors and Hunt began running through the procedures, only focused on saving his girlfriend's best friend. If Meredith died, then Cristina would no longer be Cristina anymore. There was no option…Meredith was going to live.

Hours later, the SWAT team had cleared the hospital and taken Mr. Clark into custody. Hunt and Cristina were still working on Derek and Cristina, but now other doctors were helping them.

….

Arizona smoothed Callie's hair as she coached her breathing. Callie was still fighting for oxygen and could barely breathe. Arizona figured that they needed an x-ray to rule out a trachea fracture, but didn't know if they could move through the hospital because of the shooter. It was killing Arizona that Callie was in so much pain…and she couldn't do anything to help her. Arizona was worried about the head injury that Callie had sustained and was intermittently checking Callie's pupils. She whispered encouraging words and glanced around the room and then settled on the nurse who was helping.

"Can you get me a gurney?" The nurse nodded and stood, quickly following orders. When she came back, Arizona and the nurse helped Callie stand up, carefully laying her down and rolling her next to Ruby. Then, as Arizona checked on Ruby, a few men from the SWAT team came in, telling them that the hospital was clear now and they had to evacuate to Seattle Pres. With that, Callie tried sitting up, wanting to walk, but Arizona frowned, gently pushing her back down

"Callie, you need to stay still. We're going to take you to Seattle Pres. and check this out, get scans done, and rule everything out. There's a reason why you're having so much trouble breathing and we're going to fix it." Arizona flattened Callie's hair, smiling sadly as some paramedics came in to help escort the ones who needed medical attention to the hospital.

_Not sure if I'm just going to make this a one-shot or not. REVIEW! Tell me what you think! –mlw217-_


	2. Chapter 2

Shoot Me

Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy.

There was a burning sensation taking over her body and her head throbbed as if someone was banging her head against the wall. Her mouth was so dry and it felt like it was coated in cotton. She couldn't even swallow properly. Lexie struggled to open her eyes and when she did, she immediately closed them again. The bright, unfamiliar hospital room assaulted her eyes and made an intense migraine burst from behind her eyes. She groaned and then felt a warm hand on hers, distracting her momentarily from the blinding pain in her head and the burning agony from her shoulder. She cracked her eyes and saw a blurry, familiar face. It was Mark. She had no idea what happened or where she was, but the thing that kept her from panicking was the sweet, handsome face of Mark Sloane. Lexie turned her head to the side and gave Mark a confused look, a messy smile adorning her face.

"What happened?" She whispered this, not able to take her voice to a higher decibel. Mark squeezed her hand slightly.

"You don't remember?" A stone-like expression replaced the initially concerned gaze as he tried to keep himself calm for Lexie. Lexie paused before she answered, racking her brain for what brought her to this bed. The walls were completely different colors than Seattle Grace, so she knew that she was at a different hospital, which was confusing her to no end. Why would she be in another hospital? And why was she in a hospital bed in so much pain? She thought for a second and it all came rushing back to her. The shots, the screaming, the running, the elevator, the blood…and Alex. Then the gun that was pointed and fired at her, the pain, and then…nothing. Her eyes shot back to Mark and tears silently spilled from her eyes. Mark gritted his teeth and whispered encouraging words.

"Where's Mr. Clark? Where's the shooter? Did everyone get out of the hospital? Is everyone alright? Is Alex okay?" Lexie's mind was overflowing with questions and worry and panic.

"Hey…calm down. Alex is fine. He's out of surgery and in recovery." Mark stopped and hesitated, wondering whether he should go on. Should he tell her of the deaths or the fact that her sister was still in critical condition in surgery? He just couldn't decide. Lexie sighed, relaxing a bit more.

"What about everyone else?" The question hung in the air and Mark closed his eyes, wishing she hadn't asked him that.

….

Cristina finished Derek Shepherd's surgery without any more complications and set him up in recovery with some nurses who had come back to the hospital just for the purpose of caring for Derek and Meredith immediately after surgery. Avery promised to stay with him while she went to watch Meredith's surgery. After they were stable enough to move, they would be transported to Seattle Pres. where everyone else was. Cristina didn't know if all of her friend's were okay or anything like that, but all she cared about now was Meredith. Owen was still not finished with her best friend, and this worried her. Cristina walked as quickly as she could through the desolate hallways that were usually buzzing with activity, but now resembled a ghost town, back to the OR where Meredith was. She started to scrub in, but Owen spotted her before she started. He motioned for someone to go to her. A nurse peeked her head through the door and shook her head, her eyes apologetic. She obviously didn't want to be the one to tell Cristina this news.

"Dr. Hunt told me to tell you to stay out here." The nurse swallowed and mouthed an apology before stepping back in and returning to her post. Cristina gritted her teeth and stood, tears ready to fall from her eyes. She put her hands on the sink, holding her body up and preventing herself from collapsing. This had definitely been the worst day of her life…and it still wasn't over. Those two words kept playing over and over in her mind. "Shoot Me…Shoot Me." She saw it again and again. Meredith getting shot over and over again. She took a deep breath and let it out, sobs coming out instead of air. Her body shook from her cries and she let herself fall to her knees, exhaustion, sorrow, and fear streaming down her face. Her best friend; her "person" was in critical condition. This was all too much for her to handle and she buried her face in her hands, pulling her knees to her chest, trying to breathe normally.

….

Arizona dozed quietly next to Callie's hospital bed at Seattle Pres., her body fatigued from the extremely stressful day she'd had. Callie's breathing had become too difficult, so they had to intubate, which Callie fought vehemently. Arizona sedated Callie herself so that a doctor who wasn't personally involved could intubate. Callie lay, intubated and unconscious, a ventilator breathing for her. She couldn't believe that only hours before she had been arguing with Callie, the person she loved. Her heart was pained by the harsh words she had said. She didn't mean them…she wanted—no. She needed to take them back; to make things better and for Callie to be okay. That's what she needed. That's all she needed.

_This chapter's short, I know. I'll try to make the next one longer. Tell me what you think! R&R please! _

_-mlw217-_


	3. Chapter 3

Shoot Me

Mark sat in silence for a few seconds, wondering how he would tell her all of the news without making her panic. He was keeping all of his stress and worry about the rest of his colleagues and his best friend at bay for Lexie and he definitely didn't want to be the one to tell her that her big sister was in surgery after telling the gunman to shoot her. That didn't seem like a good idea at all. Reed Adamson and Charles Percy…both casualties of the blood bath that had ensued earlier that day and both Mark dreaded telling Lexie of. Mark shook his head.

"You need to rest, Lexie." This was the only diplomatic thing he could think of saying that could possibly get him out of telling her the bad news. This also did not work.

"Mark…I need to know." Now, Lexie sat herself up, pain evident on her face. Mark helped her, making the head of the bed rise a little and sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Lexie…" He paused and looked at Lexie's worried, fearful face.

"Just tell me. I can handle it." Lexie whispered this, her voice unsure. Mark swallowed and took a breath.

"Reed Adamson and Charles Percy…are both dead." Lexie blinked and looked down, letting the news sink in. Dead…She would never see them again. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and looked up at Mark again, seeing in his eyes that he wasn't finished with the bad news.

"What about everyone else?" Lexie winced as she moved her position on the bed.

"Callie was hurt and she's on a vent…but she's gonna be fine. Derek was shot…he's still at Seattle Grace in recovery. Cristina did an emergency surgery…" He paused, really not wanting to tell Lexie about her sister.

"What about Meredith? Is she okay?" Lexie's brows drew together as she picked up on the fact that Mark had avoided saying anything about her sister. Mark gritted his teeth and put a warm hand on Lexie's. "Mark! What about Mer?" Her voice got louder and she ignored the rising pain in her shoulder.

"Okay, okay…Lexie…she's still in surgery. I don't really know anything about her condition at the moment. Hunt's doing the surgery right now as we speak…" Mark gently pushed Lexie down when she tried to sit up. "Calm down…you need to rest."

"Calm down? My sister's in surgery right now and if you don't know anything, then I'm going to find out." Lexie couldn't fight back against Mark's strength, especially since her energy was nearing zero.

"Hey. You were shot too. You need to sit still….please?" Mark stopped her, staring into her eyes, his stare piercing but kind. There was a long silence and Lexie fought tears.

"Okay…then tell me what happened." Mark really wished she hadn't asked that question. He knew and he couldn't lie to Lexie.

"Cristina was working on Derek…and the gunman found his way in there somehow. He was holding the gun to Cristina's head so that she would stop trying to fix him…Meredith was in the scrub room and didn't see what was happening. Hunt showed up and was trying to talk Mr. Clark down…and then Meredith went in….she told him to shoot her instead. That's pretty much all I know. Meredith was trying to save Cristina and Derek and he shot her." Mark stopped, his sympathetic eyes tearing up as Lexie started crying. He stood up and gently grabbed her in a hug.

….

Dr. Webber sat, silence enveloping him like a cocoon. His mind went over and over the events of the day. All of this was his fault…All of the death and injury could have been avoided if he had done something – anything. He turned his cell phone over in his hands, looking at a familiar number. He dialed the number and put the phone to his ear, his eyes filling with tears and the lump in his throat restricting his breathing. The warm voice that answered just made his emotions come out in a flood of blubbering words.

"Richard, what's wrong?" Addison Montgomery's voice was panicked and her wide eyes were fearful. "Richard, I can't understand you…Take a breath and tell me what happened." There was a pit in the bottom of Addison's stomach as she waited for her former boss and still dear friend to calm himself down enough to explain. Dr. Webber wiped his eyes and cleared his throat.

"It's all my fault…I could've prevented this…" Richard shook his head and doubled over in his seat, fighting another wave of emotion.

"Richard…just calm down. Tell me what happened." This was scaring Addison.

"There was a shooter…he was after me…and Derek…and Lexie Grey…" Addison's eyes grew wider if that was even possible.

"Oh my gosh…Tell me everything Richard. Are you okay? What about Derek?" Addison's heart constricted painfully as she thought about Derek getting shot.

"I'm fine!" His voice cracked with a sob and he shook his head. "Derek is in recovery…he was shot." There was a silence and he continued, deciding to give all of the bad news at once. "Meredith was shot – she's still in surgery. Lexie and Alex were both shot and are doing alright. Two doctors from Mercy West were killed…Callie is on a vent…" He stopped, his emotions overwhelming him again. Addison gritted her teeth, finding it hard to take a breath. She stood up immediately, grabbing her coat and purse, nearly running from her office. She hung up on Richard after telling him that she was on her way and threw her phone in her bag, dodging her co-workers as she ran out of the building. Once again, she was being pulled back into the world of Seattle Grace…there was no escape.

….

Dr. Kepner's wide-eyed face entered the scrub room and she knelt next to Cristina, putting a shaky, kind hand on her shoulder. Cristina kept her eyes glued to the floor as Kepner spoke.

"She's fine. There were a few complications, but she's going to make a full recovery. They're taking her to get some post-op films done before taking her to recovery. Dr. Hunt said that you can go with her." As soon as those last words came from Kepner's mouth, Cristina pushed herself to her feet, half-running to Meredith's gurney. Kepner smiled slightly, the first happy expression on her face in that entire day. The day seemed like weeks long and she sat herself down where Cristina had been only moments ago and pulled her knees to her chest, laying her head on her knees, staring at the wall. She dare not close her eyes, afraid of what she might see when she did, but she took in a deep breath, realizing that this was when her mourning really started. Silent tears fell down her face.

_Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! Keep them coming! I think this chapter's longer than the last one! REVIEW please! :D –mlw217-_


	4. Chapter 4

Shoot Me

Addison Montgomery let out a worried sigh as she sat at the airport, waiting for her plane. As soon as she got situated in a comfortable area close to where she would be boarding, she took out her phone, seeing many missed calls. Chewing her bottom lip a little, she decided to call Violet and have her relay all of the information to everyone else instead of repeating the story over and over again. Addison tucked her hair behind her ears and held her cell up, waiting for an answer.

"Addison! What's going on?" Violet's concerned tone bayed Addison's initial irritation at all of the missed calls and she took a breath.

"Hey, Vi. I got a call about Seattle Grace…there was a shooting." Before she could elaborate, Violet reacted.

"Oh my gosh! That's horrible! Is everyone okay?" Addison blinked and took a breath, not really knowing the answer to that question.

"Derek was shot…A lot of my friends were hurt. I'm gonna be gone for a few days, okay? Will you let everyone know? Oh…Sam... Will you tell him for me?" She was a little flustered and had totally forgotten to tell Sam. After all, he and Derek were really good friends for years and Addison had completely forgot. Her expression was torn. She knew she should be the one to call him…but it would be so much easier to just let Violet tell him. After a few seconds of Violet's rambling, Addison shook her head, deciding not to call. "Violet, I have to go, okay? My plane's boarding. Thank you!" With that, she hung up, not even waiting for a response. She let her feet lead her to the terminal while her mind was in Seattle. As she got seated, she closed her eyes briefly, praying that Derek would be okay.

….

"Let's not do that again…" Callie whispered painfully as Arizona brushed hair from her face. She had been extubated for an hour now, and she wrinkled up her face in discomfort. Arizona chuckled a little but the haunted look in her eyes was pleading with everything in her that she never had to do that again. Callie squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth against the throbbing in her head.

"You okay, Callie?" Arizona's tone was cautious and worried.

"I'm fine. Concussions…are not my favorite." Callie's dark eyes were filled with pain, but she attempted to cover it with a crooked smile that Arizona loved so much.

"I'll get some more morphine…" Before Arizona could get up, Callie grabbed her hand.

"No. I don't need that. Just some Tylenol or something. Really…I'm fine. Just a headache." Arizona gauged Callie's expression carefully and nodded, her tired eyes burning. "Hey, why don't you go home and get some sleep. You look like you could use some rest." Callie swallowed and winced.

"I'm fine. I don't want to leave you here alone." Arizona fought the urge to yawn and she squeezed Callie's hand gingerly.

"Go home. I'll be fine, okay? I'm just going to be sleeping anyway. Besides, you look like crap." Callie added the last part with an edge of humor, a smile playing on the ends of her lips. Arizona glared playfully at the woman and sighed, not having enough strength to argue.

"Okay… I'll be back soon. Call me if you need anything." Her tone was serious and forceful. With a wink and a peck on the cheek, Arizona slipped out of the room and grabbed the nurse who was in charge of Callie. She gave the nurse multiple directions and made her swear up and down to call her if anything happened or changed. After she had bothered the nurse quite enough, she trudged out of the unfamiliar hospital, dragging her feet and trying to avoid the stares she got as she left.

….

Cristina ignored the tears that were streaming down her face and she stared at her best friend, silently begging her to wake up – to tell her that everything was going to be alright. She had read Meredith's chart so much that she could recite it verbatim, but nothing was settling her mind or her aching heart. Flashes of her emergency surgery on Derek were assaulting her every time she closed her eyes and her heart was still pounding in her chest. Owen had briefly tried to come in and console her, but she had stayed silent and unresponsive until he had left her alone. She knew that doing this was cruel…but she couldn't deal with him right now. She couldn't even deal with her own thoughts in her head. The joy she had felt when Meredith had told her that she was pregnant seemed like a distant memory – something that had happened years ago. Now, she stared at a single word on Meredith's chart: Miscarriage. She had read that word so much that it didn't even look like a word anymore. They were just letters…that had no meaning. It felt like she was spiraling down a dark hole and she couldn't even scream out for help. Cristina closed her eyes, tears escaping, and she sat, trying to think and feel nothing.

….

Lexie Grey was sleeping peacefully when Mark took a deep breath, letting it out as quietly as he could. He needed to get up and walk around, but he didn't want to leave Lexie alone. He sat for a few minutes debating with himself before he settled on going to check on Karev and Callie and calling about Derek and Meredith. As he walked into the hallway, he was struck by the many unfamiliar faces walking past him. It wasn't that he had forgotten where they were, it was just his sluggish mind trying to catch up with his surroundings. Taking another deep breath, he walked on, stopping when he got to Alex Karev's room. Mark wanted to hate this man…but seeing his motionless body lying on the hospital bed made him picture Lexie's devastated face when they had found him bleeding out in the elevator. He couldn't hate him when the woman he loved cared about him so much. Mark quietly grabbed Karev's chart and made sure everything was okay before he moved onto making his way to Callie's room. He actually walked into Callie's room and was surprised to see that Arizona had left.

"I made her go home." Callie's strained whisper answered his silent question.

"Oh yeah? How'd you manage that?" Mark gave her a wry smile and sat down next to her bed.

"I have my ways…" She smiled and closed her eyes for a few seconds. "How is everyone?" Callie only knew what Arizona had been able to tell her, which wasn't much since she had been at Callie's side the whole time.

"Lexie's resting…finally. She's gonna be fine. Karev is still out of it, but I checked his chart and it looks like he'll make a full recovery. I don't really know much about Derek and Meredith…I need to call Hunt and see how they're doing…" A shadow covered his face as he thought about his best friend.

"I can't believe Meredith…" Callie had heard about the way Meredith had saved Derek and it seemed everyone was in shock about it.

"Yeah…she probably saved Derek's life. He's gonna be pissed." That put a little hint of a smile on his face and he sighed, grabbing Callie's hand. "How are you doing?" Mark turned his full attention to her.

"I'm fine…Being on a vent is really unpleasant. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Once the swelling went down, I was fine. So is Mr. Clark in prison now?" Callie blinked a few times, clearing her blurry vision.

"They actually brought him here briefly to patch him up. SWAT shot him after he shot Lexie. But he's gone now. They took him to lockup." Mark smiled sadly and slowly stood up. "I'm gonna go call Hunt and I'll let you know how they're doing."

….

Addison walked outside, opening up her umbrella as rain pelted down on her. She couldn't believe it, but she actually did miss the rain. The smell really set her at ease, but as soon as she felt the calm wash over her, she remembered why she was there. The shooter. Then, she shook her head and walked, making her way to the cab she had called. She told the taxi driver to go to Seattle Pres., and she sat back, watching the familiar wet city fly by her window, relishing the silence before the chaotic world of Seattle Grace filled her life.

_I know it's been such a long time since I've updated…but here's another chapter! I hope I haven't lost all of you! I've been SOOO busy! Anyway, thank you for reading and I definitely encourage reviews! Thank you, again! –mlw217-_


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